A Kingdom Lost
by Heleentje
Summary: Duel Academia had gladly welcomed professor Cobra as a guest teacher, but had decided to hold off on inviting any foreign students. Maybe next year, if professor Cobra's lessons proved to be successful. The consequences turned out to be a bit more far-reaching than anyone could have foreseen (snapshots from an alternate universe)
1. Chapter 1

This is a gift fic for **Endless Strategy**. Happy holidays and sorry for the slight delay! All comments are welcome as always!

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**Chapter One**

"I can't say that this is what I expected to come back to," Asuka-senpai said. She was huddled next to Rei-chan, knees pulled up and duel disk held close. Rei-chan still looked pale and sickly under her many blankets, but at least she was awake, even though she kept shivering. "Chronos-sensei, how did this happen?"

"Ah, signora Asuka," said Chronos-sensei. He sighed. "It was right after you and your friends left to find medicine for signora Rei. Those poor students, they went out looking for food and came back like this."

'This' was an actual, real zombie invasion. Kenzan had barely been able to believe it. They'd gone out to find medicine for Rei-chan with Misawa-senpai's help, and when they'd come back, only Chronos-sensei's intervention had saved them from becoming zombie chow. Why'd it have to be zombies? Dinosaurs, now those he could deal with. Once you got around their sense of smell and hearing, they were pretty easy to escape. These guys just kept coming. Judai-no-aniki had been able to get Rei-chan out of the infirmary, but now they were locked up here, in the gym, with only 20 students left unzombiefied.

"It's those dis-belts," Marufuji-senpai said. He shook his right hand wearily. "We need to get them off. As long as we have them on, it's only a matter of time before we become the same as them."

"We'll just beat them!" Judai-no-aniki said, but he lacked his usual cheerfulness. In fact, now that Kenzan thought about it, he'd been kind of withdrawn ever since they went looking for Cobra. But he'd definitely get over it, or he wouldn't be Judai-no-aniki.

"If only we could get them off," Asuka-senpai muttered. Kenzan studied the lock on his own dis-belt. It wouldn't budge. He'd already tried smashing it against a wall. The bruises on his wrist still showed.

Misawa-senpai didn't look away from the blackboard he'd appropriated an hour ago, but he did pause writing. "You cannot remove the dis-belts, correct?" he asked.

"Short of cutting off our hands?" Manjoume-senpai snorted. "Don't think so. I like my hands where they are."

"I smashed mine against a wall," Kenzan said helpfully. Marufuji-senpai winced. "Didn't work, though."

Misawa-senpai frowned, deep in thought. "Unless we have power tools…"

Not even Kenzan could hide his flinch at that idea.

"No, if it is draining you of duel energy, there must be a receptor somewhere. Something that knows how much energy we have left."

Judai-no-aniki perked up. "So if we destroy that receptor thing, the dis-belts will be useless!" He raised his duel disk. "We'll go looking for it and take it out!"

Now they were talking! Kenzan got up. If they could destroy that thing, they'd be far closer to getting home.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," said Misawa-senpai.

Judai-no-aniki frowned. "Well, then what should we do?"

"There are, by my count, at least 300 zombiefied students between us and the location of this —hypothetical—receptor. We do not know where it is or where to start looking. No, unless we know exactly where it is, a search for the receptor is a suicide mission." Misawa-senpai continued. Asuka-senpai, Marufuji-senpai and Chronos-senpai all nodded. Kenzan got back down. When you put it that way…

"So then what?" Manjoume-senpai said. "We have to get rid of these stupid things."

"If I can interrupt the signal… Maybe block it," Misawa-senpai said. He wiped one corner of the blackboard clean and started scribbling again, numbers and letters that went right over Kenzan's head. "If we can't take them off, we can at least disable them. Can I see one?"

Marufuji-senpai moved over. Kenzan tapped his foot against the ground. How much longer until the gym would be overrun? And how much longer until they ran out of food? How were they going to make it out of here alive? Misawa-senpai had been looking for a way out ever since they'd returned with Rei-chan's medicine, but they needed a massive power source to even contact their own world. Access to the power station had been completely cut off already.

The moaning outside increased. A few Ra Yellow students moved to the far corner of the gym. One Obelisk Blue girl with reddish-purple hair started sobbing quietly. Asuka-senpai bit her lip and got up to console the girl.

"Hey, is anyone in there? Let us in!"

Kenzan jumped up, as did Manjoume-senpai. There were still people outside who hadn't been caught? Judai-no-aniki hurried over to the door.

"Please let us in! They're coming!" a second person shouted, hitting the door. Manjoume-senpai's eyes widened.

"Mototani, that you?" he shouted back. There was a second of silence on the other side of the door. The moaning increased.

"Manjoume-san? They'll find us!"

"We've got to let them in!" Judai-no-aniki said, already moving the first table away. To Kenzan's surprise, Manjoume-senpai did not protest, but only activated his duel disk. Kenzan took the second table from Judai-no-aniki and pushed it away, leaving them with enough room to open the door.

"They're here!" A girl shouted. Judai-no-aniki pushed open a door and jumped aside when three people—two guys and a girl—stumbled in. He slammed the doors closed again, right in time to stop the first zombie students.

"Some help here!" he shouted. Kenzan grabbed both tables at once and shoved them back against the door. Judai-no-aniki leapt over both and came to a stop a few feet away from the door, his duel disk activated. But the tables held.

"Asuka-san?" the girl asked, trembling. Kenzan recognized her. She was one of Asuka-senpai's friends—

"Junko! Oh my goodness!" Asuka-senpai ran to the girl and hugged her. "What happened? Are you okay? Where's Momoe?"

"She…" Junko-senpai sobbed. "Asuka-san, I'm so sorry! She got cornered! We couldn't save her!"

Asuka-senpai looked stricken. She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed. "It's not your fault, Junko. I'm just glad to see you're safe."

The two guys who'd come with her were standing awkwardly near Manjoume-senpai. Kenzan knew he'd seen them somewhere before.

"Torimaki, Mototani," said Manjoume-senpai. "How'd you get here?"

The guy with the blue hair, Torimaki apparently, was the one to reply: "We hid away in one of the empty classrooms, but then they found us and we had to run."

"You got lucky," Manjoume-senpai stated. He turned away. "Well, might as well stay here. Sit down somewhere and save your energy."

"That's the spirit!" Judai-no-aniki said. He deactivated his duel disk, now convinced no one was going to get in. "Hey Misawa, how're you doing?"

"I can't reprogram a system like this in just five minutes, Judai," Misawa-senpai told him. He had attached Marufuji-senpai's dis-belt to what looked like an ordinary PDA. "I don't have my usual material here and whoever programmed the dis-belts clearly knew what they were doing." He smiled when the PDA beeped. "But I'll have you know that I'm getting there. Give me another hour and your dis-belts will be as harmless as a Watapon."

Hah, awesome. Kenzan sank down against the wall. Asuka-senpai took Junko-senpai and the purple-haired girl from earlier to sit with Rei-chan, who had finally stopped shivering. There were only 24 students left and just one teacher, but if they could disable those dis-belts, they would at least stand a chance. They could go out and reactivate the power station, and maybe send a message back home.

Yeah, things were finally looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter and all the following ones come with a warning for character death. Despite that, enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

This was all wrong.

There was Martin, too far away from her, and he was attacking Judai-sama. Why did Martin want to duel him? What had Judai-sama ever done to Martin? They barely even knew each other!

The duel zombies had invaded the gym less than half an hour ago and sent them running. Rei had succeeded in hiding in an empty classroom on the first floor. From the window, she could just see Marucchi and Judai-sama. Judai-sama had activated his duel disk. Were they really going to duel? Rei glanced at her Dis-belt. Hers had been deactivated, thankfully, but Martin had forced them out before Misawa-senpai had managed to deactivate every single one. As far as she knew, only thirteen people remained, and even without the belts they were rapidly nearing the point of total exhaustion.

She had to— She had to get to Martin. Maybe she could talk to him and end this madness.

Commotion in the hallway had her move away from the window. She cautiously opened the door and peered outside.

"Asuka-senpai!" she shouted.

Asuka-senpai finished another duel with a vicious attack of Cyber Angel Datini. She panted and stepped backwards as her opponent got right back up, unfazed.

"Over here!" Rei shouted. Asuka-senpai looked at her, glanced back at the zombies and then wisely decided to run for it. She entered the classroom and Rei locked the door before the zombies could follow. ASuka-senpai sank down on the first chair she found.

"We can't keep this up," she said, breathing heavily. "Where's Judai?"

"Out there." Rei pressed her hands against the window. In the distance, Martin had summoned a huge monster, one she didn't recognize and definitely hadn't been in Martin's deck before. She had to get over there.

"We have to help him," Asuka-senpai said. She joined Rei at the window. "We're on the first floor. We could easily jump.

Rei swallowed. A ten-foot jump didn't sound particularly appealing to her. But the zombies were still crowding the classroom door. No way they'd escape that way, but the few zombies underneath the window wouldn't be a match for them.

"Let's do it."

Asuka-senpai carefully opened the window. With Rei's help, she climbed out and dropped down. She winced when she hit the ground, but immediately got up and activated her duel disk.

"All clear!" she shouted. Rei lowered herself out of the window until she was hanging on by the tips of her fingers. Then she let go.

Asuka-senpai caught her with a soft 'oof'. There were a few zombies slowly heading their way, but the majority had gathered around Judai-sama, blocking any escape routes. Now Martin had three of the massive monsters out. Judai seemed to have one of his many Fusion monsters on the field.

"Let's go," said Asuka-senpai. She grabbed Rei's hand and pulled her along, activating her PDA at the same time.

"Manjoume-kun, where are you?"

Silence for a moment, then Manjoume-senpai said: "Fighting them off."

"We're coming. Judai's in trouble," said Asuka-senpai, and ended the call while Manjoume-senpai's protests were still coming through.

She ran faster. Rei struggled to keep up. Her health still wasn't what it should have been after that creature's attack, and lack of sleep hadn't done her any favors. It was only when they'd almost reached Judai and Martin that they stopped. Rei got her first good look at the monsters. They were massive, like nothing she'd ever seen before in her life.

"The Sacred Beasts," Asuka-senpai muttered. "Oh please no."

Whatever those monsters were, Asuka-senpai was terrified of them and Judai-sama was clearly struggling. He had Neos out in defense mode, but how would it stand up against three of those creatures? If they didn't do something, Judai-sama would lose. The thought gave Rei all the energy she needed. She _would _get up there, no matter what.

She ran past Asuka-senpai, who still stood petrified, and right at the stairs, into the mass of zombie students that had only now noticed them. She dodged the first few and slammed her duel disk in the face of a fellow first year.

"Sorry, Yoko-san," she muttered. She dearly hoped the crack she'd heard was just her imagination.

But Yoko-san wasn't deterred. She grabbed the back of Rei's jacket. Rei felt it tear with some regret, but the zombies kept following.

"Here!" Asuka-senpai shouted. The distraction was enough for Rei to reach the stairs. She took them, two by two, all the way to the top.

"Marucchi!"

Martin glanced at her, and no, that wasn't Martin. Martin would never look so cold, so hateful.

"Rei-chan!" Judai-sama shouted. "You can't stay here! I'll handle it!"

"That's right," Martin—no, the creature that was using him—said. "Just you and me, my beloved, until the very end. Send the girl away. She has no place with us."

"What have you done to Marucchi?" Rei asked. The creature smiled a smile that looked horribly wrong on Martin's face.

"You want this child, girl?" it said. "Oh, I do suppose your futile struggles have provided me with enough energy now. Yes, I believe it will make our reunion so much more special, my Judai."

Judai cast Rei an uncertain look and raised his duel disk. His face hardened.

"Let everyone go," he said. The creature laughed as Martin's body started glowing.

"My Judai," it said, in both Martin's voice and another, more feminine one. "So considerate of others. You'd never hurt them like you hurt me, would you? Ah, they will never know your love."

It was as if Rei's vision had split. Martin seemed to grow wings, and only a second later a monster appeared, humanoid, massive, with grey skin and strange, dual-colored hair and eyes. Judai-sama stepped back.

"Yubel?" he whispered. "You're— You're Yubel!"

"I am flattered," said the monster. It grabbed Martin by his collar and tossed him at Rei. Rei stumbled and fell under the sudden weight. Her head hit the ground hard.

Judai-sama," she gasped, eyes watering. "Who's that?"

"Yubel is— Yubel is—" Judai-sama shut his eyes tightly. "I don't remember, I—"

"My beloved Judai sent me away, so many years ago," Yubel said. "And he hurt me, oh how he hurt me. All to show me his love. And now,I shall repay him. I activate a spell card: Dimension Fusion Murder! This allows me to remove Uria, Hamon and Raviel from play to summon Chaos Phantasm Armityle!"

This new monster was even larger than the three Sacred Beasts that had been on the field before. Even Judai-sama looked disconcerted now.

"Armityle, attack Elemental Hero Neos!"

To Rei's horror, the monster's attack points suddenly shot up to 10 000. Neos was destroyed in a massive blast of power. Judai-sama shielded himself.

"I activate a trap card: Neo-Spacia Road! When Neos is destroyed, this lets me end the battle phase and draw a card."

Judai-sama drew and added the card to the one he had in his hand. Yubel smiled.

"Very well. I end my turn."

Judai-sama drew wordlessly. Then he smiled.

"I'll start off by activating O-Oversoul from my hand and bringing back Neos!" he told Yubel. Elemental Hero Neos rematerialized and Rei breathed a sigh of relief. "Then, I summon Neospacian Grand Mole!"

"Your monsters must love you," Yubel said. The monster's face twisted into something ugly. "They'll soon learn otherwise."

Judai-sama paid her no heed. "Next, Neos and Grand Mole will contact fuse into Elemental Hero Grand Neos!"

Grand Neos. If Rei remembered its effect right, it could be the solution to all of their problems.

Judai-sama relaxed slightly. "And I'll equip it with Instant Neospace." He played the last card in his hand. "Now it's time to do away with Armityle! I activate Grand Neos' effect to send Armityle back to your hand!"

Grand Neos charged the monster, but Yubel slowly, almost lazily, smiled.

"You have much improved since you were a child, my Judai. But I'm afraid I can't let you. I activate a quick-spell: Effect Shut."

Rei gasped as Grand Neos halted in its tracks. It glanced back at Judai for the briefest of seconds, and then, just like that, exploded.

"Effect Shut negates your monster's effect and destroys it. Now Judai, what will you do?"

Judai-sama stared at his empty hand and empty field. "I—" he whispered. "I end my turn."

"I thought so. Now, Armityle, attack!"

Rei screamed. The attack couldn't hit. If it hit, Judai-sama would lose and—

Armityle's attack obscured Judai-sama from sight. When it cleared, Judai-sama was still standing. Rei cheered. And then Judai-sama collapsed as his life points hit zero.

"Judai-sama!" Rei yelled. Down below, Asuka-senpai shouted something. Rei ran forward, but Yubel got there first. The monster lifted Judai-sama with more care than Rei would've thought possible.

"My poor, beloved Judai," it whispered. "You will not need to worry anymore."

Rei activated her duel disk. "I'm challenging you to a duel! Let Judai-sama go!"

But the monster paid her no attention.

"I have no interest in you or your school, girl," it said. It spread its wings and took off.

"Mystic Dragon!" Rei cried. Her dragon shot after Yubel. And Yubel turned around and stretched out the hand not holding Judai-sama. Fire obliterated her monster, and she could only just see Yubel clutch Judai-sama tighter, until there was heat and pain and she screamed as the fire burnt her eyes out.


	3. Chapter 3

Some minor off-screen character death in this one, but once again, enjoy!

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**Chapter 3**

"She's…" Misawa said. "I'm sorry, she's gone."

Asuka let out a strangled sob as they looked at Rei and Martin — What remained of them, that was.

Chronos averted his eyes. The sight of his students, skin blackened, faces still contorted in pain, was sure to haunt him for the rest of his days, however many remained. Somewhere below, between all the students who had collapsed when the monster had disappeared, was vice-principal Napoleon. How would Chronos tell him his son had died? Would he ever get the chance to tell him to begin with?

"I should have stopped her," said Asuka, voice trembling. "I never should've let her go up there."

"There's nothing you could have done," Manjoume said. He studiously avoided looking at Rei and Martin. "If even Judai couldn't win—"

He cut off abruptly. Shou sucked in a breath.

"We have to find Aniki," he said, soft but determined. "Who knows what that monster will do to him?"

A shiver ran down Chronos' spine. "Signor Judai…" he whispered. Him too, they had lost. He had lost three of his students and he didn't know if the hundreds of others would ever wake up. He had failed; his students, his pride and joy, were being torn away from him and he didn't even have the power to get them back. Only nine of his students were still in any condition to do anything. All of his colleagues had fallen.

"We need to get the students to safety," he announced, overlooking the fainted students. He hoped they had only fainted. A cursory check had shown the nearest ones alive, but he hadn't had the time to check all of them. "And signora Rei and signor Martin…" He swallowed heavily.

"We should bury them," said Kenzan. Asuka had silent tears running down her cheeks.

Manjoume swallowed too. "First the other students," he stated. "It's not like… Like there's anything we can do for them. So we should look at the others first."

All his students looked at him. Chronos nodded. Manjoume's words made painful sense.

"Signor Manjoume is correct," he said. "We need to get the other students to safety."

If anyone noticed the tremor in his voice, they didn't say anything about it. Poor Ayaka, the last of his first-year students, was crying. Junko wrapped an arm around Asuka, who stared blankly ahead.

Transporting over 400 students to the gym with only ten people was no small task, and it had long gone dark before they called a stop. They hadn't managed to find all the students —by Chronos' count, they'd barely managed half— but they were practically crying from exhaustion and night in the Desert World was too dangerous to spend outside. At least they'd managed to get everyone who'd fainted outside indoors. It was the best they could do on such short notice. Chronos had never been truly stellar at first aid, but he remembered enough to know that anyone who was unconscious for more than a couple of minutes, let alone hours, was in grave danger. His students were still breathing, but none of them had so much as flinched when they'd carried them inside.

The night that followed was a quiet one, since no one wanted to address what everyone already knew. Finally, when almost everyone had dozen off into fitful sleep, Manjoume asked: "How long can we last on the food and water we have left?"

"Four days," Chronos said. He knew the answer by heart, had counted down every day they spent in the Desert World. If they didn't find a way out in four days, they would all die a slow death.

"And…" Manjoume said. He glanced at Asuka, sleeping fitfully next to him. "What if it's just… Us?"

Chronos flinched. Shou, who had been nodding off, was suddenly wide awake.

"Water wouldn't be a problem," Misawa said, detached. "We would have enough water to last us for nearly half a year. The same theoretically applies to food, but the food will go stale very soon. We'll starve long before we run out of water." He took a deep breath. "Tomorrow we'll go to the power station. If we get it working, maybe we can get a message through.

But the power station, when they got there the next day, had been infested by a horde of giant sand worms and they only barely escaped with their lives. It was an even more despondent group than before that buried Rei and Martin, together with Yoko and Takuya, two students who hadn't lasted the night. Judging from the blue circles under her eyes, Yoko had somehow suffered a skull fracture. There was no telling how many students would follow.

"I'm going to find Aniki," Shou said. Chronos wasn't the only one who couldn't hide his shock.

"Shou-kun, it's dangerous out there," Junko said.

Shou grimaced. "I know, but we have to save Aniki. We can't leave him with that monster. And who knows, maybe we'll find some way to go back home?" He faltered. "You don't have to come, but I'm going. I can't bear feeling useless anymore."

Asuka flinched as if hit. "You're right," she said. "I'm going with you."

"Me too," said Manjoume.

"I'm not leaving Judai-no-aniki behind!"

Ah, his students, how far they'd come. The mix of pride and worry was nothing new for Chronos. He agreed; they had to find signor Judai. And yet…

"I shall not come," he said. "You must go, but I must stay with the school.

"Sensei—!" protested Kenzan, but Chronos cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"It is my duty as a teacher to look over all my students, signor Kenzan, and to protect your lives with my own. But you— All of you," he looked at Torimaki and Mototani, insecure asthey were, and poor Ayaka, who'd never wanted to go to Duel Academia but had enrolled anyway, "are brave, strong and amazing people, and I trust that you will survive and find signor Judai."

He looked at them, taking in their faces, gaunt and white after several days in this hellish world. Finally he settled on Misawa.

"Signor Misawa, I trust you know your way around this world?"

"I know a few places, but Chronos-sensei, I should stay here and get the power station working."

The main generator in the power station had been destroyed. Misawa knew that just as well as he did.

"Go look for signor Judai," he said. "And get yourselves to safety. I ask only that you tell me how to disable the dis-belts. Perhaps it will help those unconscious students."

Misawa looked down and nodded.

"We will come back, Chronos-sensei," said Shou. Oh, how brave he'd grown in just two short years.

"I trust you will."

It was early morning the next day when he saw them off, with all the food and water they could carry. Even Ayaka had, at long last, decided to join them. She'd be safer with them.

And Chronos turned back to the school, where his students still lay unconscious. He had 400 students to take care of and try to wake up. It was his duty, after all. Students would one day leave their teacher and go out in the world, make a life for themselves. But a teacher, no, a teacher never left his students behind.


	4. Chapter 4

And this chapter is as close as you'll get to the transfer students showing up. Have fun reading and all comments are welcome!

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**Chapter 4**

They made their first stop when the school had only barely faded from view, at the abandoned submarine where, mere days ago, they'd found Rei's medicine. No one mention that little fact, even though everyone was surely thinking it. Misawa most certainly was. He might not have known Rei very well, but that didn't mean he didn't miss her.

Half of the submarine was unreachable now, but they still managed to scrape together another first aid kit, a compass, two flashlights and a lot of radio equipment that was useless in its current state. Misawa dismantled it anyway and stuffed the wires into his backpack. With some luck, he'd be able to use it to boost the signal on their PDA's, so they could get in touch with Chronos-sensei again. They'd lost contact about half an hour before they'd reached the submarine.

Asuka made another lucky discovery in the form of several spare uniforms, which she, Junko and Ayaka gladly donned. The girls' uniforms were in no way equipped for survival. Junko was already complaining of sunburn and blisters.

They spent the hottest hours of the day inside the submarine, far too warm but still cooler than the overheated outside air. Even with three suns, the Desert World always looked strangely overcast. When he'd first arrived here, Misawa had tried to make sense of the astronomical lay-out of this universe, but without the necessary equipment and with monsters everywhere bent on interrupting a night of stargazing, he'd been forced to give up quickly.

"Where did this thing even come from?" asked Manjoume. "How does a submarine end up in the middle of a desert?"

Shou shrugged. Mototani started rummaging through a file cabinet they'd skipped in their search for anything useful.

"Says here it belongs to a Garam company," he said. Manjoume looked up.

"Garam? They're business rivals of the Manjoume group." He snatched the file from Mototani and leafed through it, his frown deepening. "Bastards," he muttered.

"What is it?" asked Asuka.

"They were actually spying on Duel Academia, can you believe it? Must've gotten caught up in the blast that brought us here." He turned a page. "Not just Duel Academia but all the academies."

Misawa glanced over his shoulder. The file contained a profile of Manjoume, detailing his ties to the Manjoume group. There was one for Judai that spent half a page on the Neospacians, and several others, all about students the Garam company considered important. There was a student at North Academy with a gem-based deck, a few students across the world who'd inherited rare cards, and more profiles of students with strong ties to business giants.

"Industrial espionage, is what it is," said Manjoume. "I swear I'm telling my brothers when we get home."

Silence fell. Manjoume seemed to realize what he had said, because he quickly closed the file and tucked it away in his backpack.

"The monster went east, I'm sure of it," Asuka said quickly. Misawa nodded. He'd seen it disappear.

"But what if it changed directions?" Ayaka asked. "We… We might never find it."

"I'm not giving up on Judai," replied Asuka.

Ayaka flinched. "I know, but… Maybe we should find a way home first. Then we can find help to look for Judai-senpai.

"Aniki could be dead by then!" Shou said, glaring at her. "Do you want him to die?"

"No, but—!"

"Hey, lay off her!" Torimaki said. "We want to survive this too, you know! I don't want to jump into whatever danger you've found this time on the off-chance that that Judai guy might still be alive!"

"_That Judai guy_ tried to save us all," Manjoume snapped.

"He didn't do a very good job at it, did he?"

They'd only left the Academy half a day ago, and they were already fighting.

"Guys, please!" said Misawa. "I agree, we need to look for Judai. But Ayaka-san is right too. We shouldn't needlessly endanger ourselves."

"She wants to abandon Judai-no-aniki!"

"No, that's not what I—"

"Please!" shouted Misawa. "No one wants to see Judai or anyone else die."

Shou grumbled but didn't disagree. Ayaka wrapped her arms around her knees.

"How about this? We keep going east and look for Judai. I know there's a small oasis about two days from here. While we're looking, we keep searching for a way home and if we find one, anyone who wants to go home, can go home."

Mototani and Torimaki grumbled, but nodded. Ayaka said, "okay," head bent low.

The night that followed was tense for everyone, but at least no one argued anymore. Traveling with nine people was slow work, slower than when Misawa had been on his own. Fortunately, the relatively large size of their group seemed to scare off all but the stronger monsters.

They stopped again at noon, but with no shelter, they spent the hottest hours of the day miserable. They did, however, get their first clue in the form of a passing Dragon Lord.

"No, yeah, I saw them," the monster said. "They were headed towards the Gate, I believe."

"The Gate?"

"Told them they were crazy, but they didn't listen."

Misawa frowned. The Gate, an oft-mentioned but mysterious place in the Desert World. All he'd been able to gather was that it lead to another, even more dangerous dimension, where warlords killed everyone who opposed them. His data was woefully inconclusive, but even Misawa's thirst for knowledge hadn't won out from his desire to live. And the monster had taken Judai there?

"The guy," Asuka asked. "How was he? Was he hurt?"

"Hurt? No," the Dragon Lord said with a puzzled frown. "Bit sunburnt, that's all, but that's to be expected of you humans. He looked quite happy, in fact."

Asuka looked struck, as did Shou.

"You're sure?" Misawa asked. Judai _happy_? Judai awake and making no attempt to escape? It didn't add up.

"That monster must have done something to him," said Manjoume.

The Dragon Lord shrugged. "All I'm saying is that they both looked pretty comfortable together. Didn't say much. They seemed to be in a hurry."

Misawa swallowed. That didn't look good for Judai. "When did you see them?"

"Oh, not too long ago. Must've been late yesterday night. They'll have reached the gate by now, but I'm sure you can catch up."

Misawa exchanged a worried look with his friends. What had the monster done to Judai, that they'd only passed here last night, even with a headstart of two days?

The Gate… They had no choice now, if the monster had taken Judai there. And so it was that they moved on when the sun set, walking through the dark for what had to be hours, until they all had blisters and had finished quite a lot of their water.

Finally, shortly after midnight, Kenzan shouted and pointed in the distance. A large structure had appeared on the horizon, far taller than any of the surrounding dunes and pitch-black even against the night sky. Upon closer inspection, the term 'gate' proved to be entirely accurate. It was huge and ornamental, with complicated fractals and polygons that Misawa would have loved to study if everything about them hadn't sent shivers down his spine.

Shou took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and put a hand on the Gate.

"No, wait," said Misawa. "We should spend the night here."

He didn't miss Ayaka's visible relief.

"But Aniki is in danger!"

"I know, but we need a good night's sleep. We don't know what's waiting for us there. We'll need all the energy we can spare."

Shou grudgingly relented, and they spent an uncomfortable night in the sand. Misawa didn't think anyone slept much. Once or twice, he saw Kenzan walk up to the Gate and study it with ill-disguised anger. Finally, at dawn, they ate breakfast quickly, and then Misawa, Manjoume and Kenzan pushed open the Gate.

A wave of cool air came towards them, almost a relief after the hot desert sand. Misawa's first impression of this new world was that it was… dark. Dark and rocky, and that wasn't nearly scientific enough an explanation for his liking. He needed time to study this world, do geological research, find out how similar this world was to earth and the Desert World. But first, they needed to find Judai.

They had barely passed the threshold when the Gate slammed shut and someone —a woman?— said: "Welcome. We have been expecting you."


	5. Chapter 5

This is where things start deviating from canon rather strongly. I'll reiterate my warning for character death, for this chapter and the next ones.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

What got to Manjoume wasn't the woman's voice, nor was it Tenjoin-kun's shaky gasp. No, it was Shou's whispered, "Aniki," that made him whirl around, only to come face to face with… Judai.

Only this wasn't Judai like he'd last seen him. Oh, his clothes were the same, as was his hair, and Manjoume would even have been able to ignore the distinct golden shade his eyes had taken on if it weren't for his expression: placid, emotionless. Dead.

"We waited for you," said the monster. It put a hand on Judai's shoulder and Judai leaned into the touch. Kenzan gritted his teeth. Judai didn't look hurt, but that face of his, that eery expression…

"Hey Judai, get away from that monster!" Manjoume shouted. No one dared to move, not when the way back had been closed off and the monster was still holding onto Judai's shoulder. But there were nine of them and only one of the monster. Surely they could take it.

"No," said Judai. His voice was different too, lifeless. "Yubel has found me. I have no need for anyone else."

Tenjoin-kun reeled back as if struck. Shou shouted: "Aniki, you don't know what you're saying!"

"I know very well. You would do best to leave."

This wasn't Judai. That monster had twisted his mind. And if words weren't going to snap him out of it…

"Hey Judai!" He stepped forward and activated his duel disk. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Manjoume had managed to defeat most of the school more than once. He could take Judai, especially a Judai who was nothing like his normal self whatsoever.

"Manjoume, are you sure this is a good idea?" hissed Misawa.

"If he doesn't recognize us, I'll just kick his ass until he does."

For the first time, Judai looked faintly amused. He exchanged a look with the monster, who nodded and said softly: "Go on. I believe they need a warning."

Judai stepped forward, his own duel disk activating in eery silence. Behind Manjoume, his friends stepped back to give him space.

"Duel!" he shouted. Judai said nothing, only drew his opening hand.

"My turn!" Manjoume drew a sixth card. A good, strong opening hand. "I summon Blood Vorse in attack mode," he announced. "And then I play two cards facedown."

His facedown Hell Polymer should be able to take care of whatever fusion monster Judai decided to summon, he thought as he ended his turn. Only Judai didn't summon a fusion monster. He took his turn in dead silence and did nothing more than summon Bubbleman in defense mode. Was it just Manjoume's imagination, or did the monster have the same blank look on his face as Judai?

"Be careful, Manjoume-senpai!" Kenzan shouted. Manjoume nodded. Maybe Judai just hadn't drawn Fusion, but it was far more likely that Manjoume was walking straight into a trap.

Only Judai's dueling didn't improve. Blood Vorse easily destroyed Bubbleman, and Judai made no move to stop him from summoning, in quick succession, all three Ojamas. The monster that had taken him watched it all with a faintly amused smile.

"Judai, what the hell?" Manjoume asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Be grateful that my Judai deigns you worthy of his time," the monster said.

"He doesn't even recognize us, does he?" Tenjoin-kun whispered sadly. Judai turned his head ever so slightly.

"Tenjoin Asuka," he said. "Yes, I do believe your abilities are slightly above average. And Marufuji Shou. The boy who could be strong if he weren't such a coward."

Shou clenched his fists.

"You take that back!" shouted Kenzan. "Marufuji-senpai is way braver than you think!"

"And Manjoume Jun," Judai continued, as if he hadn't even heard Kenzan. "Always trying to catch up. Of course I recognize you. I do wonder: why should I care?"

"Enough!" Manjoume raised his duel disk. "I'm dragging you back whether you like it or not! I activate a magic card, Ojama Delta Thunder!"

It would deal 2000 life points of damage. Judai only had 1300 life points left.

"You know," said the monster conversationally. "This world has some very specific rules."

"What do you mean?" growled Tenjoin-kun. Manjoume tried to ignore the monster.

"Whoever loses a duel in this world, dies."

Manjoume's hand stilled over the button that would activate his magic card. "Why should I believe you?"

"By all means, go ahead," said the monster. "I do ask myself what use it has to kill the person you're trying to save."

It was lying, had to be. But what if… What if it was telling the truth? He glanced at Judai, who looked supremely unconcerned. Judai might be an idiot and a bastard, but he couldn't risk it…

"I end my turn," he bit out.

"Aniki!" whined Ojama Yellow. Manjoume gritted his teeth. How could he get around this? He still had 2900 life points left. Could he force a draw?

"My turn," said Judai. He drew. For a brief moment, the gold in his eyes flared up. "I play the magic card Dark Fusion and send Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burst Lady to the graveyard."

Dark Fusion? Manjoume had never seen that card before, but Judai was clearly going to summon Flame Wingman and—

"I fusion summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing!"

"What?" shouted Kenzan.

"Hold it!" Manjoume pressed a button. "I activate my trap, Hell Polymer, which—"

But the trap shattered before he could finish his sentence.

"Dark Fusion prevents my monsters from being targeted by traps. Now, Inferno Wing, attack Ojama Yellow."

Manjoume barely managed to keep himself from crying out as his life points sank all the way to 800. But he was still alive, and next turn he could—

"Inferno Wing deals damage equal to the attack or defense of your destroyed monster, whichever is higher."

Ojama Yellow had no attack but 1000 defense points. That— That meant—

"Judai, we're you're friends!" shouted Tenjoin-kun. Stop it!"

"I recognize that I once considered you friends," Judai said, and as Inferno Wing bore down on him, Manjoume could barely make out the rest of his words. "But I don't see why that should still be the case."


	6. Chapter 6

Happy New Year to all of you reading! This chapter will hopefully go some way towards clearing up things, though the full explanation will still have to wait for a bit. Perhaps you can guess xD Either way, enjoy!

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**Chapter six**

They left after Manjoume died, hurried and haphazard and shouting at Judai all the way. Judai watched them go, wondering vaguely if he should just be rid of them now, but they were no threat. Not yet. Surely they would come back, surely they would try to take Yubel away from him, but not quite yet. For he did know: They would regroup and return. They were stubborn and stupid and cared too much.

"They'll come back," he told Yubel. She leaned over and took his hand, her nails scratching the back. She'd made him see so much. He remembered everything now, and the idea of parting with her was nearly unbearable. How had he ever been able to do so as a child? He had been so stupid.

"What can a group of children do to harm you? You are a king, my Judai. You were born to rule over them."

"And I will." He remembered his childhood now, after years of wondering why his memories had been so fuzzy. He remembered his past, how he had been born king, and how Yubel had given up everything to protect him from—

Protect him from—

Protect him from all enemies, of course. All those who tried to separate them. And if his former friends would try to separate them, he would treat them as his enemies. Yubel had given up everything to protect him. She had loved him more dearly than anyone else.

"Do you like it, this world?" Yubel asked. Judai took his time to look around, his eyes lingering on the dreary, dark landscape.

"It's rather dark," he said, "but it'll do."

He didn't really like the dark, but then again, who did? Yubel hummed. Again that feeling, the one that told him he'd forgotten something, and looking at Yubel, he thought she'd felt it too. But she smiled and wrapped her arms around him, and the feeling disappeared.

"There is one here — He fancies himself king."

Judai smiled, slow and lazy. "That won't do, will it?"

"Shall I take care of him for you, my love?"

Judai shook his head. If he were to rule, he would have no one dispute his right to do so. "I'll do it myself. But not now. My deck…"

Not that he'd ever been in any danger. He could have defeated Manjoume blindfolded. But his deck had been quite uncooperative. He hadn't seen hide nor hair from the Neospacians and Hane Kuriboh in days.

"A weak soldier brings down a whole army," said Yubel. She was right, of course. He needed to fix his deck. He would not be king with a worthless army.

It took him three days. Three days by the end of which Brron the Mad King lay broken at his feet, and an army of monsters swore allegiance to him and Yubel. They would become his first new subjects. He would rule as the Supreme King, the way he'd been meant to do since ages past.

There was something off about that, something he still couldn't quite put his finger on, but as he thought about it, the feeling was drowned out by blessed silence and Yubel by his side. He would rule over all the worlds, and they would fear him. Foolish as the creatures in this world were, they did not leave him unchallenged. He destroyed them. His army grew larger by the day, and his grip on this world grew stronger. They would obey him or fall in ruin.

And the part of him that protested, that cast a shadow on all his accomplishments, was blinded and chased away by the bright shine of Yubel by his side.

It was no surprise when his dear friends made a move. It was a surprise to only see Kenzan, dragged into the throne room by two of his most faithful followers.

"Release him," he commanded. Ah, poor impulsive Kenzan. Of course he would have come charging in alone.

"I will let you leave now," he said, "if you do not oppose me further."

Kenzan jumped up, fists clenched. "I'm not letting you do this, Judai-no-aniki!"

Yubel snorted. Judai shook his head.

"I have no desire to see my subjects die. Yet, if you continue to oppose me, you give me no choice. I shall duel you."

He even made it swift. Kenzan, who didn't even provide half the challenge Manjoume had, didn't stand a chance against a deck that had conquered the world.

Perhaps he felt some slight regret as Kenzan's duel disk clattered to the ground and Malicious Edge faded from view. He was supposed to rule, after all, not destroy.

_Not yet. _

It was a light voice, one he heard sometimes and had come to associate with Yubel, even though it wasn't hers either.

"Dispose of that," he ordered. He had no interest in seeing cards scattered all over the place.

"There are other worlds, you know," said Yubel. Judai hummed. She was right, and once he had squashed the very last of resistance in this world, he would move on. He shuffled his deck. Dark Fusion had served him well, but perhaps he needed something stronger, something better. Something that could unite entire worlds and bring them under his control. He suggested the idea to Yubel, who smiled into his hair.

"I have just the thing," she said.

And as she explained, Judai felt lighter than he ever had before. Truly, he didn't need anyone but Yubel.


	7. Chapter 7

This is by far the longest chapter this fic will ever see. Really, Asuka's deck is incredibly well-suited to taking on the Sacred Beasts. Judai should've just let her duel to begin with ^^

Cassia found her origin in Walking Tall, where she was mentioned a few times in the second chapter.

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**Chapter 7**

Ayaka had gone off and never returned, and even though Mototani and Torimaki had gone looking for her, Asuka had little hope of ever seeing her again. Manjoume's death had hit her hard, and after Kenzan had disappeared in the dead of night, she had given up all hope of ever going home again.

That left just four of them now. Misawa had found them a place to hide with a friendly group of monsters, who weren't so much trying to put up a resistance against Judai as stay as far away from him as possible. Asuka sorted through her deck and thoughtfully went over her cards. Cyber Blader, most definitely. Cyber Prima would be good too. Allegro Toile? She glanced up and caught the back of a passing monster.

"Cassia? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

The monster, a Different Dimension Warrior Lady, turned around and headed her way. Cassia and her boyfriend, Alexander, weren't native of the Dark World, but they had decided to stay and help out once Judai had come to full power.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Asuka spread her cards out on the table.

"I'm looking for a way to banish cards. Something reliable."

Cassia looked over her cards. "They need to be banished? You've got a pretty good set for destroying here already."

"Preferably, yes."

"Hmm, well," she reached into the inside pocket of her jacket, "I can give you Different Dimension Ground. It's a trap. Will only last you one turn, though."

Asuka accepted the card and studied it. A good start.

"To be really safe, you'd need Dimensional Fissure, but I don't have a copy." Cassia rubbed her cheek thoughtfully. "You know, I'll ask around. I'll get back to you."

"Thanks," Asuka said. "If all goes well, I'll return them to you. If not…"

Cassia smiled sadly. "Say no more. Good luck."

She walked off and Asuka gathered her deck again. It was progress. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Asuka-san?"

"Junko!" Asuka shot up. She hadn't even heard her coming. "I'm sorry, what is it?"

"Please tell me you're not going to face Judai."

Asuka didn't miss the lack of honorific. "I'm not going to face Judai," she replied serenely.

Junko frowned. "Asuka-san, please promise me you will not face Judai. I… Momoe's gone. I don't know if I can stand—"

Asuka got up and hugged her.

"Don't worry, okay?" she whispered. Junko sniffed and nodded. She wiped at her eyes.

"I hate this. I want to go home."

Asuka did too. How would Fubuki be holding up? And her parents… First they'd lost their son, now their daughter.

"Go get some sleep, Junko," she said gently. Junko nodded. She'd only just left when Shou appeared; Asuka got the impression he'd been watching them all along.

"Did you say that just to comfort her?" he asked.

"I don't plan on dueling Judai," Asuka replied. She shuffled her deck. She really hoped Cassia would be able to find her some more cards.

Shou scrutinized her. Asuka remained stoic under his gaze, and finally he slumped. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Whatever you do, just be careful, okay? After Kenzan… I don't want to lose anyone else."

"I promise, Shou-kun. I'll be careful," Asuka said. After all, she didn't plan on dying.

**OoOoO**

Supreme King Judai, as he called himself these days, was surprisingly easy to reach. Asuka dueled her way past three soldiers with a cold ferocity she didn't even know she possessed. Before she'd left, Cassia had caught her and handed her a few cards, along with the message to keep trusting her deck first of all. So far, it was doing her good.

"Asuka," said Judai when she appeared. He sighed. "I suppose you've come to challenge me?"

"No, I haven't."

A brief look of surprise flitted across Judai's face. Yubel leaned forward. "Then why are you here?"

Asuka took a deep breath. "Yubel," she said, "I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will release Judai."

Judai laughed. Yubel got up gracefully.

"Interesting. But what makes you think I have any control over my Judai at all?"

Asuka remained stubbornly silent. Judai shook his head.

"I'll give you the choice I gave Kenzan," he said. "Leave, now. I have no need to kill those who don't oppose me."

"No. Because this is not you, and I will prove it."

"Very well," said Yubel. "I accept your challenge, Tenjoin Asuka."

A duel disk appeared on Yubel's left arm as she walked to the middle of the room. Asuka activated her own duel disk. If she couldn't win this, she'd die, but if she could…

"The turn is yours," Yubel said with a wide gesture. Asuka kept her face impassive. That might not be a bad thing. It gave her time to prepare. Her opening hand could have been better, but it would tide her over for a bit, especially if she was right about what Yubel was planning.

"I set three cards facedown," she said," and I summon Cyber Petit Angel in defense mode." Cyber Petit Angel let her add Machine Angel Ritual to her hand. She didn't have any of her ritual monsters yet, but it might be useful. "That's the end of my turn."

Yubel drew and smiled.

"Let's see how good you really are, girl. I set one monster and a card face-down. And then I activate a spell card: Triangle Force. It lets me activate two more copies from my—"

"Don't think so." Asuka hit a button on her duel disk. "I activate Spell Shield Type-8, and discard a card," she did so, "to negate the effect of your spell card and destroy it!"

She carefully gauged Yubel for a reaction, but she was disappointed. Yubel remained impassive. Judai, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows.

"I see. I end my turn."

Asuka took a deep breath. That facedown monster wasn't something she liked. She drew, but was disappointed to see Doble Passé. It wouldn't help her much against the Sacred Beasts. "I set two cards facedown and sacrifice Cyber Petit Angel to summon Cyber Prima!" she announced. Too bad that Yubel didn't have any spell cards left on her field. "Cyber Prima attacks your facedown monster!"

Yubel flinched when her monster was blown away, but she grinned at Asuka.

"You destroyed Giant Germ. Which means you get 500 points of damage and I can summon two more Giant Germs."

Oh, if only she'd still had Cyber Petit Angel, then she could've activated her facedown Pure Pupil… Now Yubel would be able to summon another monster and call on Raviel during her next turn, and she had nothing on hand to stop it—

"Oh, we're going to have ourselves a bit of a gamble, I believe. You see, I don't have Raviel in my hand right now. So we'll see who has more luck on the next turn."

Asuka gritted her teeth. She'd gone to all the trouble to prepare for the Sacred Beasts, only to have the borrowed cards not appear.

"I end my turn," she managed.

Yubel drew. "Mmm, I suppose you got lucky. It's not Raviel. But tell me, am I right in thinking you came prepared?"

"Obviously."

"Yes, that Cyber Blader of yours wouldn't be so good for me, would it?" said Yubel. "Oh, don't look so surprised. Do you really think you're the only one who prepared? It was only a matter of time before one of you showed some intelligence."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? "Just get on with it," Asuka muttered.

"Oh well, if you insist. I do believe it's time for me to change strategies. I activate my facedown Flame of the End to summon two Doomsday Tokens. And I sacrifice them immediately to summon myself to the field."

Asuka managed to refrain from gaping as a copy of Yubel appeared. At least it wasn't one of the Sacred Beasts. But as she risked a glance at Judai, she suddenly wasn't so sure anymore. Judai had slumped in his seat, looking almost bored now. Yubel-the-card didn't have any attack points. That meant—

"I do believe your Cyber Prima is itching for a fight."

Asuka looked up and gasped as Cyber Prima shot at Yubel.

"I don't take battle damage. But you do."

And suddenly Asuka realized what Yubel's effect was. And how she could prevent it.

"I activate Doble Passé! Your monster's attack becomes a direct attack on my life points!"

Yubel passed by Cyber Prima and hit Asuka, but no pain followed. Asuka lifted her head and grinned. "In return, of course, Cyber Prima gets to attack you directly."

The explosion was blinding. Judai got up out of his chair, shouting something Asuka didn't understand. When the smoke cleared, Yubel's life points had gone down to 1700 and she looked angrier than ever before.

"You should just give up, girl. You cannot win this. I will not let you win this."

"I believe I just proved I can," Asuka said. "You've done something to Judai, and I'm going to snap him out of it, because that is not Judai."

"You truly claim to know Judai better than I, who has known him for several lifetimes over?"

Several lifetimes over? That was new to Asuka. But she had known Judai for over two years, and maybe he wasn't exactly what she'd always wanted him to be, but he was not this… ruthless overlord who killed everyone in his way. She glared at Yubel. "I know Judai. Are you done?"

"We'll see. I sacrifice one of my Giant Germs to keep Yubel on the field and end my turn."

Asuka drew and smiled. "I summon Cyber Tutu in defense mode." If Yubel needed to sacrifice a monster to keep her own copy on the field… "And I attack your remaining Giant Germ with Cyber Prima!"

It cost her 500 life points, but at least she had gotten rid of the Giant Germ. She had no way of destroying Yubel yet —battling the monster would only lead to her own loss— so she ended her turn.

"I do believe you know what's coming, don't you?" Yubel shook her head. "3000 life points left. I'll admit that you're doing a good job, but how long do you think you'll be able to keep this up?"

"As long as it takes."

Yubel actually smiled. "I admit, you're proving to have more intelligence than most."

"I'm getting Judai back, whatever it takes," replied Asuka. Judai shook his head in disbelief.

Her answer didn't sit well with Yubel. "Is it so hard to believe Judai might love me? Or are you really that jealous? You can't take him from me, you know."

Asuka took several seconds to reply. "If you were his card, it's hard to believe he didn't care about you. But the real Judai would never kill so many people and if you claim to know him, you know that too!"

Yubel's face became curiously blank. "I summon Grave Squirmer in defense mode," she said. "And then, Yubel attacks Cyber Prima."

Once again, Cyber Prima shot at Yubel, but this time, Asuka was more than prepared. "I activate Pure Pupil! With Cyber Tutu on the field, I get to negate the effect of your monster and destroy it!"

The etheric being clashed with Yubel and destroyed her. Asuka smiled a self-satisfied smile and Yubel, the real Yubel… Laughed.

"Congratulations. And thank you."

"For what?"

"When Yubel is destroyed, I get to summon my second form: Yubel, das abscheulig Ritter!"

Asuka swore, but she went unheard over the roar of the giant, two-headed dragon that appeared. Another form? How many forms did this monster have? She couldn't keep this up forever.

"Very well then. I do believe you know how this goes."

And she had no choice but to watch Cyber Prima charge at the two-headed dragon. Her life points sank down to 700.

"Next, I activate the second effect of Yubel: das abscheulig Ritter. I will destroy my own Grave Squirmer to destroy your Cyber Prima!"

Asuka could barely believe her luck. "Trap, Angel Blast! I get to negate its effect and destroy your monster!"

Like Yubel before, Yubel: das abscheulig Ritter disappeared. And just like before, Yubel smiled.

"Really girl, you're only doing me favors here. Though I must commend you. You are the first person to take out my two forms in one turn. So consider it an honor to see my final form: Yubel, das extremer traurig Drachen!"

Another dragon, this one even larger and more terrifying, with massive claws that could take out a person without even trying. Asuka took an involuntary step backwards. In the gallery, a few monsters shouted in shock.

Yubel smiled. "I cannot attack anymore, so I set one card facedown and end my turn. Here's hoping you get a good draw, child."

Asuka drew. This was Yubel's final form. If she could beat it… "I activate Pot of Greed!" She drew another two cards and sighed with relief. She'd done it. She'd finally drawn Dimensional Fissure, which was now completely useless, but she'd also drawn…

"I summon Cyber Gymnatics and I activate its effect! I discard Dimensional Fissure to destroy your Yubel: das extremer traurig Drachen!"

She'd won. She could destroy Grave Squirmer with Cyber Gymnatics, and Yubel had only 1700 life points left. She'd be no matc—

"I activate a trap: Zero Hole."

Cyber Gymnatics shattered. Asuka stared in shock.

"Did you really think you were the only one who could use trap cards, girl?" Yubel said. "What will you do now? You have no cards left to save you. You aren't going to attack. You put up a good fight, but it ends here."

Asuka lowered her head as she ended her turn. Yubel was right. But if only…

"Judai, please! You have to remember! This was never you!"

"I remember everything," Judai said slowly, eyebrows furrowed.

"He was born to rule," Yubel spat.

"Even if that's true, Judai would never act like this! He's always tried to save everyone, not kill them!"

"You've already lost, girl."

Asuka knew. She knew all too well. But if only she could get through to them…

"Judai would want to protect people and help make their lives better! If you know him at all, you know that!"

Something crossed Yubel's face, and her eyes widened ever-so slightly. Judai stepped forward.

"Asuka?"

But then both of their faces went blank, unfocused. Maybe, Asuka thought, maybe they'd all been wrong. Maybe Judai wasn't the only one brainwashed.

And Yubel said: "Yubel: das extremer traurig Drachen, attack."


	8. Chapter 8

We are slowly nearing the end. Two more chapters after this one (and I have run out of things to say here). So anyway, enjoy!

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**Chapter 8**

Shou shouldn't have followed. But he was small, and unlike his brother, he could perfectly well hide out in a crowd. More importantly, he'd known Asuka was lying. He'd followed her when she'd snuck away in the early hours of the morning and witnessed her defeat at the hands of Yubel. He wished he could have retrieved her duel disk and buried it like they had for Manjoume, back when they'd thought things couldn't possibly get any worse. All Shou had done so far was watch. And with Asuka gone, he feared it was all he'd ever do.

Judai had reacted to Asuka's final words. Some of it had gotten through to him, Shou was sure of it. Judai had almost called off the duel altogether. So then why his blank expression now? And Yubel had reacted in much the same way. No, if Judai was brainwashed (no doubt about it now), he wasn't the only one. Asuka must have realized that, probably long before him.

Shou moved away from the balcony and blended back into the masses. He needed to think and talk to Junko.

"So I think there's something else behind this," he told Junko three hours later, after he'd finally made it back to their hideout. She glared at him. She hadn't taken the news of Asuka's death well.

"What, so we should just go up to them and make friends? Like— Like they did nothing?"

"No! I—" Shou did want Judai back, but confronting him only led to all of them dying. "I'm just saying that we should find whoever's behind this."

"Asuka-san tried that already. Look how that turned out."

"I don't think it's just Yubel. It's like something else is controlling them."

"You mean like last year, with that weird society? I thought that didn't affect Judai."

"He couldn't see his…" Shou trailed off. The Society of Light. Judai hadn't been able to see his cards until he'd made that trip and come back with the Neospacians, something Shou still didn't quite understand. But now no one ever mentioned the Supreme King using the Neospacians anymore. If it was the Light of Ruin… Shou groaned and dropped his head in his hands. There was no way he could face the Light of Ruin. It had taken Judai and Edo and Kenzan just to beat it the first time.

Junko eyed him and sighed. "We're not going to make it back home, are we?"

Shou wished he could reply, but didn't.

**OoOoO**

The next day brought news.

"The army is moving? Where?" Shou asked. Alexander shrugged and joined him at the small table Shou had appropriated for himself.

"No idea, but they're coming this way, which means we're moving too," he said. "What are you going to do? Cassia and I are going back to our world. You can come with us, if you want."

Shou bit his lip. Confronting Judai or Yubel, even with thorough knowledge, had proven to be an unmitigated disaster. Shou could barely beat Judai on a good day, let alone this corrupted version of what used to be his Aniki. If only his brother were here… Or Edo. They had both beaten Judai before.

"We got here from that desert world through some kind of gate," he told Alexander. "Are there any more like that?"

"Yeah, a few." Alexander studied him and sighed. "I know what you're going to ask, but there are none that lead to your world. Not as far as I'm aware."

Shou deflated.

"For us, there isn't much to do in your world. It's just… We're not visible there, you know? So why bother?"

"Some monsters do."

Alexander shrugged. "Sure, always some exceptions."

The army was moving… But where? They'd already conquered this world almost entirely. What more was left for them?

"Judai— He wants to conquer other worlds," Shou realized. Alexander's face told him he was right. "We have to warn them!"

"We've sent messengers, but there's no telling if they'll make it. And I have more bad news…" Alexander looked down. "Yesterday the coast town of Marastre was invaded by the Supreme King's army. The entire town was destroyed."

"What?! But—" If there was still anything good to be said about Judai, it was that he had, so far, left people alive as long as they didn't oppose him. Shou himself had seen him offer Asuka a chance to leave. What had changed? Why had he suddenly started killing indiscriminately? Judai had taken over this world, perhaps compelled by the Light of Ruin. Shou groaned. Ruin. It was out to kill them all and doing a great job at it.

"I'll go. I'll go warn those other worlds," he said.

"You sure?"

"I know Judai and I know what his deck is like." Shou thought of the Evil Heroes and grimaced. "Most of it, anyway. And we've always gone wrong when we stumbled in without any information. That's why everyone's dying. So if those other worlds can prepare, they might stand a chance."

"In many worlds, the rules are the same as in this one," Alexander warned. "You'll die if you lose a duel. And I must say that you humans aren't exactly popular right now, not after what the Supreme King has been doing." He peered at Shou. "Maybe it's better if you don't let on that you know him. They'll think you're a spy. Can you handle all of that?"

"It's nothing new, is it?"

"The Supreme King… If he loses, he will die too. He's only mortal," Alexander continued, watching him closely. Shou swallowed.

"I know… I wish I could bring him back somehow, but I don't know if anyone can."

"You'd spread the information that could kill him?"

Shou thought of the town of Marastre, which had been razed to the ground. He thought of Asuka and how she'd almost gotten through to Judai, only to fail at the last moment. He thought of Manjoume and Kenzan, whom Judai had killed without a second thought.

"I think…" Shou looked down. "I think the Judai I knew is long dead already."


	9. Chapter 9

Our penultimate chapter, everyone. Not much to say about this one, so enjoy!

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**Chapter 9**

Not like Judai, the girl had said. Yubel scoffed. As if a silly girl like that knew anything about her Judai, as if she could tell what he was like just by being in the same classroom. Foolish girl. No wonder she'd lost.

Her Judai was born to rule. He was born to reign over everything in existence, and she had accepted the task of protecting him from all those out to destroy him. Protect him from…

Something.

Something terrible, no doubt. Something out to take Judai away from her, like that girl.

_She was jealous._

Yes, yes, she must have been. There was no other explanation, because that girl could never be right where Yubel was wrong. Not about Judai. Her Judai, who had loved her enough to send her away to gain immeasurable powers, and had he not succeeded? The pain, the suffering, all proof of the love he felt for her. Her powers now far exceeded the paltry version she'd had before. She had been strong enough to make him remember everything and help him realize his true destiny. Strong enough to fashion the ultimate tool for him, the one that would unite all worlds for him to rule. Yes, Super Fusion would very soon be complete, and with it, her Judai would destroy any resistance still left and finally erase the borders between worlds. This world was far too small and dark for someone as bright as her Judai.

They found a few stragglers in the path of their army. A shivering woman who still tried to duel but couldn't even defeat their lieutenants, some kids way too overconfident for their own good, a guy who'd been trying to hold them off to evacuate a village before they arrived. All useless efforts, of course, but her Judai was bothered.

"What is it?" she asked, running a hand through his hair. Tugging just a little too hard.

"Mmm, nothing," he said. He eyed the now-burning village. Following the coastline from Marastre onwards had been very effective. The coast towns were trading hubs that had kept functioning even under the rule of the pretenders who dared call themselves king in her Judai's place. Everyone had clustered there.

"I believe Shou is still out there."

Yubel looked away from the village. "Is he dangerous?"

"Shou? No." Judai tilted his head. "Maybe on a good day. His brother, on the other hand… Too bad he's on earth, he would have made a good addition to Super Fusion."

Yes, earth, the one world they couldn't yet reach. It had taken Cobra's inventions and massive amounts of energy to create a passageway the first time, and they didn't have access to that technology anymore. Maybe they should let some of those scientists live. But it didn't matter. No world was beyond the reach of Super Fusion.

"It is nearing completion," Yubel assured him. Judai smiled.

"Good. Let's move on."

They found a new world after that, one that was heavily populated but peaceful. Its sun shone very bright, and Yubel liked it better. Judai, on the other hand, had trouble.

"It's so light here," he said.

Yubel knew that was important, but she couldn't— Couldn't tell—

"Isn't that good?" Yes, bright was good, like Judai with her and the world at his feet, to unite and destr— Destroy, right? Yes, create a better world, just for them.

Judai opened his mouth, his eyes curiously distant. "No, light is fine," he said, but he still closed the curtains. The house they'd appropriated was too small for her Judai, but it was built on a hilltop and offered a fine view of the surrounding area. Not that they should have worried. After the murder attempts her Judai had faced in the Dark World, this world was positively docile.

They did not venture into the Desert World themselves. It was a pointless world without any real inhabitants. Yubel had taken away her Judai from that awful world and finally made him remember her, regain the memories and love the world had tried to take from him. They'd pay, those people who dared call themselves his parents. As if her Judai would ever be anything less than shaped from the very fabric of the universe. As if such paltry humans could ever be anything more than a conduit for one with such immense power, power he had— Yes, power he had unlocked already, of course. He was king. She had made him king. Super Fusion would unite all world for him to rule, and her Judai would discover his ultimate destiny.

That night, a woman tried to assassinate her Judai. There was little left of her once Yubel got through with her. She would utterly destroy each and every person who tried to hurt her Judai. His pain, the proof of her love, would only be dealt by her the way he'd shown her his love.

The Desert World fell, with the scouts reporting next to no resistance.

"And the school?" asked her Judai.

The scouts talked about a building, how it had been nearly abandoned and how they'd used it as their headquarters during their stay, after eradicating a few emaciated students and their teacher. Yubel was almost impressed. Those belts, a halfway-useful invention created by the idiot teacher who'd brought her to Judai, would have malfunctioned after about a week of her absence and cut off the power drain, but to have survived the drain so long… Perhaps the students of that school had been somewhat competent after all.

But the Desert World didn't work like the Dark World. Weak as its inhabitants were, her Judai's army hadn't even bothered to duel them before killing them. Her power and her Judai's power were flowing to their army, making them stronger and giving them all the things they'd always wished for. The army grew by the day, and thos people who'd dared to claim Judai as their friend were long gone. It would be just her and her king, her Judai, until the final days of the world.


	10. Chapter 10

And here we get to our very last chapter, with a bit of a change in the narrative. I had a lot of fun writing this, so thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, faved and followed and I hope you enjoyed the ride!

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**Chapter 10**

We have won, Herald.

You may be starting to struggle, you may be starting to see, but you have already lost this fight. Lost it when you loved your protector, lost it when your love blinded you to everything else.

We are grateful. Your mind is so easy to manipulate. You may have fancied yourself a mind that can't be controlled, and of course you are right. One does not control Darkness. One only blinds it.

And we are so very good at blinding.

It shall not last forever. Even now, you are struggling. You are stronger than your protector, and yet in that very first moment, in remembering her and trying to save her, you believed her and trusted the words we made her say. You made it so very easy. Your protector believes the words she speaks. We made sure of it.

The Supreme King. Such a fanciful title for the disgrace you turned out to be. You don't remember, do you? You do not protect anymore. You do not know how to protect. And you may have thwarted us once, but you also gave us our ultimate weapon. You love, Herald. Too deeply, too obsessively, and soon none will be left because of it. You are creating your own downfall in the unity you so desperately seek.

The Herald of Darkness creates and unites. Go on then, Herald, create, unite, and see your universe torn apart. Fuse, destroy, and die along with it.

But you will return, will you not? A new form, a new vessel, but for now, we win. We will break you. We will destroy everything you ever claimed to love. We will grant you one mercy: you will die along with your protector.

The place you claim as home… Ah, it would be a dangerous world for you. The humans are so good at destroying, in all their tiny and huge ways. It would be easy if you went. You are waking up, Herald, are you not? Perhaps you should die. But your protector won't let you. No, better you die with her and create your own downfall.

So complete Super Fusion, Herald. Kill and destroy all those you were meant to protect, and we will blind you until it is too late and you can only stare at the destruction you have wrought, horrified as your fragile mind will always be. We used your love and warped your past and blinded you to your present. You will see, soon, and then you will die.

Are you finished? Yes, it appears you are. You have betrayed your own self and everything you stand for, Herald, so go on now. We are here to bear witness to your final act of destruction. Make your sacrifice. Unite the worlds. Do it now.

We see you realize now, Herald of Darkness. Call it your parting gift from us. Turn away from our Light, hide in your shadows and don't look. Don't look at the destruction you wrought, don't look as it destroys all you were meant to protect. Don't look,Herald, as your protector dies before you and you are alone in death.

Of course you will return, for Darkness stays hidden where we cannot yet reach. But know, Herald, that we will wait for your return and destroy you again.

And may you know, may you forever remember:

We have won.


	11. Nitya jātam

Oh look, I lied.

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**Bonus chapter: Nitya jātam**

The first thing Nitya created, after her existence had become secure enough to experiment, was wings. Wings so she could fly. Wings so she could cross the world and help out wherever she was needed. Wings so she could run, run, run as fast as she could.

She was still small in this form, just a tiny being with wings and brown eyes that could have looked human, if such creatures still existed. She would grow, faster than she ever had in any life before, because she didn't have time to learn and play and live. Her universe was barely larger than the spot she was standing on and she was surrounded by enemies on all sides. She had a terrible duty to fulfill.

Nitya created. She used all the knowledge she had acquired in the past and stitched together the gaps where it proved insufficient. No, Nitya was not great at paying attention, never had been, but she had the knowledge and imagination of a thousand lifetimes at her fingertips. She created solid ground to walk on, and as she walked, she created plants and creatures so she wouldn't be alone. Some she created from the images in her memories. Some she couldn't bear to ever see again.

As she curled up, wings tight around her to block out all the light, Nitya did not sleep. She had neither need nor want for it. Sleep would only open up her mind for attacks. But as she closed her eyes, just briefly, she saw old faces and created new people. They did not think her strange, with her wings, and for the first time in eons, she wasn't alone.

And yet she was so lonely. Everyone she'd known was dead. She had destroyed them all. She'd failed.

She'd killed Yubel.

Yubel, who had been by her side for so many lifetimes. And now she… She was alone.

It was the day Nitya learned what tears felt like.

The world, tiny as it was, could function on its own now. It would grow without Nitya there to guide it. And if things were a bit strange sometimes, a bit off, well, it was a strong world. It could fix itself. The one sun — All Nitya had been able to bear creating — gave warmth and strength, something she couldn't provide. Not anymore.

Creating people had been so very easy and yet… Nitya tried. She tried everything, and recreating the form of the people she'd failed had never been a problem. Just a hair color, an eye color, a wave of her hand and she could remake them all. But their spirits… No, Nitya had torn them apart along with their bodies. She had destroyed everything and everyone that ever was.

She tried to bring Yubel back once, in a faraway forest filled with tall trees she'd made taller for the occasion. No light made it to the ground here. It suited Nitya just fine.

She made it halfway before discovering that Yubel was well and truly gone, and destroyed her creation in a fit of rage. She stared in horror at the empty clearing. She had destroyed after she had sworn to never do so again. Nitya knew her predecessors had fought. She knew the Light of Ruin was everywhere and that she would have to be ready once it chose to attack her. She would need all the weapons at her disposal just to protect herself. But not today. Today she ran, away from the forest, away from the memories she tried to erase but couldn't. To fix the universe she needed everything she had ever learned in all of her past lives. All the things she never wanted to remember.

Sometimes she talked to people, the ones who didn't care about her wings, large and leathery as they were.

"You should cut your hair," said the woman she was bartering for fish with. "It'll get tangled with your wings. I should know." She spread her own dark brown wings, feathery and smaller than Nitya's. "Does it never get in your way when you wake up?"

Nitya didn't sleep. She ran a hand through her black hair. It was almost down to her waist. In her previous life, she had always had shorter hair.

"Maybe later," she said, looking down. "How much for the fish?"

After so many years of trying to remake the people she lost, it actually helped that the people were different now. Years ago, when Nitya had been tiny, she had recognized everyone, and in every hint of grey eyes or blond hair, she'd seen her failure. But the people were nothing like she remembered, and finally Nitya could relax just a bit.

"Hey, you new here?"

Nitya swallowed a mouthful of fish and looked up. Blue-green eyes looked back at her.

_Yubel_**. **

But no, this girl wasn't Yubel. She was too bright to be Yubel.

"I'm Sinéad," said the girl. She held out a hand. Nitya hid a grimace and shook it briefly.

"Nitya." And when the girl kept looking at her, she added reluctantly: "I'm just passing through."

"Oh, me too, but I come here often," Sinéad said. She had light hair that she brushed behind her ears. Not blond, not blue either… Something greenish?

"The world is so big, you know," Sinéad continued.

_No, it isn't. You have no idea._

Nitya started cleaning away the remainder of her lunch. Maybe Sinéad would take the hint and go away. She was probably a very nice person, but Nitya couldn't look at her without seeing Yubel.

Sinéad studied her. "Hey, have we met before?"

"No."

"Ah." A flash of disappointment crossed Sinéad's face. "Well, where are you heading? I'm heading east. Do you want some company?"

"Sorry, I need to go west," said Nitya, who'd just come from the western mountains.

Sinéad frowned. "Will you be safe? The mountains are dangerous at night."

As if she ever had anything to fear from the night. "I'll be fine," Nitya said, and because Sinéad was still part of the world she'd created, she asked, "You?"

"Oh, I'm traveling with Meghan, my youngest sister," said Sinéad. Nitya nodded. It had to be nice to have a family. She got up and gathered her bag. Her hair briefly tangled with the straps and she grimaced.

"I have to move on."

"Oh, too bad. Maybe we'll meet again!"

"Let's not," muttered Nitya as Sinéad disappeared from sight. She did not need a Yubel lookalike around.

Hours later, she spotted Sinéad in a store, talking excitedly to a girl with bright blue hair. Nitya turned around before either of them could spot them. It was only later, when she'd left town, that she realized neither Sinéad nor her sister had carried a trace of the darkness that should have permeated every being in existence. Nitya shuddered and turned north.

But she didn't see Sinéad again and her little world stayed free from the Light of Ruin. It took her time and effort to keep her creation safe and let it expand by taking away territory from the Light, bit by bit, but it was working, and battling the Light gave her a vindictive sense of satisfaction. The Light had taken Yubel from her. It had taken her friends, her family, and everything she'd cared about, and she would never let it get to her her again. Not in this lifetime, not in any of the next.

She ran a hand through her hair and smiled. Then she found he first barber in the first town on her way.

"Cut it short," Nitya said. Short hair was so much more convenient, as her past life had known. "To my chin should be fine."

The woman who ran the shop cast a knowing look at her wings and got to work. And when Nitya walked out an hour later, the wind breezing past her neck, she knew she'd never have Yubel anymore, but the Light would never take anyone from her ever again. She smiled through the slight sting of tears in the corners of her eyes, a smile that would have bystanders recoiling. For when the Light had been in her mind, she had learned from it too. She knew more about it than its feeble mind, so bent on destruction, could ever begin to imagine, and one day she would take all that knowledge and turn it against it. The Light might have won once, but Nitya would make sure it never did again.


End file.
